


Magicians Are Tricky Things

by ariblake13



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Lucio is awful with feelings, Other, Sexual thoughts, minor gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-26 17:39:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15005972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariblake13/pseuds/ariblake13
Summary: Lucio would rather die (almost literally) than deal with the possibility of him having feelings. Now, with the Apprentice showing up everywhere, he's got a lot of maneuvering to do to avoid catching any of those feelings.





	Magicians Are Tricky Things

**Author's Note:**

> This whole thing was based off a theory a friend of mine showed me where the Apprentice died during the ritual Lucio used to bind himself to the Devil card and was bound to the Fool as a result. I thought it was super interesting and thinking on it further spawned this little story.

The proposal had been more of a drunken joke than a serious offer, if Lucio was being honest. Both he and Nadia had realized how foolish the whole idea was the next day, but at that point, it was too late to back out. It would have been disastrous for the political relationship between their countries. If he was to be even more honest, he might admit how much he hated even the concept of marriage. It was too confining. Luckily for him, his new bride was just as unwilling to commit to this particular relationship as he was, so they made an agreement. To the public, they would attempt to remain the happy couple. Away from prying eyes, they were free to pursue any relationships they desired. He and Nadia were far too different in most every sense to get along for any large period of time. He didn’t feel the slightest twinge of emotion when she began to search for fulfillment outside of their relationship. He had plenty of people he could bring to bed anytime he chose. And they didn’t bring any feelings into it. Lucio preferred it that way. Emotions complicated things, got him tangled up and trapped when he didn’t want to be. They made a mess of his perfectly good one-night stands, and he wasn’t about to let his fun stop for something so foolish.

Things got a little bit more complicated when the plague showed up. Nadia was much more concerned with the wellbeing of the people than he was. For the sake of their already strained relationship, along with his reputation, he allowed efforts to be made with palace funding towards finding a cure. He didn’t really give it too much thought until he started recognizing the warning signs in himself. Of all people to catch the plague, it had to be him. He would like to say he handled the realization well. The temper tantrum he threw would suggest otherwise. It took Nadia hours to finally calm him down, promising him that they would increase their efforts to find a cure in time.

Nadia brought in many different people to look for a cure. Countless doctors came and went from the palace grounds. He could understand why the doctors were here. What he wasn’t too convinced by was the magicians. He argued with Nadia about even letting them into his castle. If there was a cure to be found, it wouldn’t be found by some mystic claiming to have the answer. Lucio had been attempting to use magic himself for years to no avail. He didn’t need anyone coming in and making a fool of him. However, Nadia insisted, and the Magician and his Apprentice were allowed onto the castle grounds. Lucio refused to greet them when they arrived. Nadia was none to pleased, but by this point, she had learned to choose her battles when it came to Lucio’s childish antics.

Despite his sickness, he refused to be bedridden. His symptoms were still mild, so no one argued with him too much about his desire to continue his life as normal. No one wanted to tell the Count that he couldn’t walk around his own castle, not after he threw a vase at the last doctor who tried. He was walking through the garden when he first met the Magician and his Apprentice. His ever-present guard dogs, Mercedes and Melchior, alerted him of their presence before the magicians came into view, growling as they rounded the corner to where the two were sitting. There were both seated at the base of a tree, reading from the same book. As Lucio and his two dogs came into their view, the two didn’t even look up.

Lucio had plans to ignore them; after all, he had to make a point that he didn’t trust them nor did he want them there. He started to walk past them when Mercedes and Melchior left his side. That caught his attention. The dogs almost never left his side when he brought them with him. He paused to see what had caught their attention. Of all the things he had expected to see, his two very well-trained guard dogs both sniffing over the Magician’s Apprentice was not it. The Apprentice looked delighted, cautiously extending their hands for the dogs to sniff. The dogs seemed to like what they smelt since they immediately sat down at the Apprentice’s side. Lucio was quick to mask how startled he was at the entire encounter. He had trained his dogs to be hostile to everyone except himself. They were his protection. To see them so readily accept a stranger was unsettling.

At this point, he could no longer ignore them. Official introductions had to be made. Lucio vaguely recognized the Magician, Asra, from the Masquerade he held every year on his birthday. His attempts at seeming aloof during the interaction were more difficult than expected since the Apprentice was seated between his two guard dogs the entire time. In fact, the dogs almost seemed reluctant to leave when Lucio headed back into the castle. Infuriating. He would have to ensure they were better trained before running into the magicians again.

After the first introduction, it seemed like he saw the Apprentice everywhere, with or without Asra. The first few times he bumped into them, he attempted to ignore them. The dogs, however, refused to simply pass them by no matter how many times Lucio fussed at them for it. They seemed to have decided, without Lucio’s approval, that the Apprentice was someone to be trusted. And thus, Lucio was forced to carry on conversations with them every time they met. At first, they were superficial conversations: how was the search for the cure coming; how was his health; had he met the newest doctor, Julian. The pleasantries were very bit as annoying as he expected them to be. He found Asra to be aggravating, with his constant slacking off and careless attitude. The Apprentice was slightly easier to talk to. They seemed interested in what he had to say and more than willing to provide a witty comeback whenever Lucio said anything rude. Which was quite often. At some point, Lucio stopped attempting to ignore the Apprentice when they were alone. They made decent conversation, and they weren’t all too unpleasant to look at. Had he met them under different circumstances, he would have immediately taken them to bed. He was still considering it. However, he still had a point to make about distrusting the Magician and bedding his Apprentice was not going to help him make that point.

At some point, Lucio realized he was seeking out the Apprentice’s companionship. He would visit places they frequented, looking to strike up a conversation. It was unsettling to him how often he went looking for them. But it seemed like, if he didn’t seek them out first, they would come to him. He simply couldn’t get away from them. And, at times, he wasn’t quite sure he wanted to. They were someone new to brag about himself to. And they genuinely did seem to listen even if they would tease him frequently about being too full of himself. As if there was such a thing. They were even pretty decent at handling his mood swings, something most everyone else had never quite gotten the hang of. They took his temper in stride, never afraid to stand up to him if he was being too much of an ass. At first it annoyed him immensely. However, the more often it happened, the more he found himself appreciating it. They rarely held a grudge against him. Everything seemed to slide right off of them like water. He wondered what their garments would look like sliding off of them. If he wasn’t still being so stubborn about trying to pretend he couldn’t stand them, he might attempt to find out.

There were times Lucio attempted to distance himself from the Apprentice. It seemed they were just as stubborn about befriending him as he was about pushing them away. It didn’t seem to matter what he said or did, they kept coming around with the same mischievous smile on their face. It was aggravating as hell. Especially since it was getting harder and harder to try and keep them away. Their presence was surprisingly nice. They would talk about places they had seen, books they had read, even show him magic. If anyone questioned the two of them spending so much time together, Lucio always insisted it was in search of the cure.

Despite everyone’s efforts, Lucio had steadily been growing more ill. Once he fainted at breakfast, he was confined to his room for his health. And boy, did he hate it. He threw things at anyone who tried to come in. Asra, Julian, Nadia, they all were greeted with a solid object directed at their heads. It wasn’t until the Apprentice visited him that he managed to calm down, even if only a little. Enough to finally let Julian come in and check up on him. The servants were loath to watch the Apprentice leave that night. And if Lucio were the honest type, which we all know he isn’t, he might have admitted he was too.

The fainting at breakfast was only the beginning. He grew more ill by the day. With that, the Apprentice spent more and more time in his room. It seemed like Lucio would only tolerate others coming in and out if the Apprentice was present. Everyone was careful not to comment on that fact. It made Lucio angry, and while he wasn’t as dangerous now, his temper tantrums were still a hassle to deal with. Asra had made his dislike for the situation known to his Apprentice, but he never tried to stop it. He respected his Apprentice too much to cast doubt on their judgement. Nadia never seemed to express any opinion on the situation other than to scold Lucio for being so ill-tempered with everyone else. Lucio had long since stopped trying to hide how aggravated he was with the whole thing. Everyone except the Apprentice faced the full force of his wrath, however feeble it was growing to be.

Lucio’s birthday, the time of the Masquerade, was approaching, and still they were no closer to a cure than they had been when they started. People were coming and going constantly, trying things out and infuriating Lucio to no end. Even the Apprentice was beginning to have a hard time dealing with him. Despite trying to hide it, they were concerned about him. In his frustration with his sickness, Lucio would taunt them about it, pointing out how foolish of a decision caring about him was. After all, Lucio cared for only himself, and he made that abundantly clear. While the Apprentice always took those comments in stride, they couldn’t always hide the fact that it hurt them. When they would leave, Lucio would feel a little tug in the pit of his stomach that he refused to admit was guilt. Lucio, the Count of Vesuvia, did not feel guilt. And if he did, he would never admit it, not even to the Apprentice. After all, he refused to believe they wouldn’t find a cure before the sickness completely took over. He was the Count, for fuck’s sakes. He would NOT be beaten by some puny peasant sickness. They would find the cure. He would recover. And he wouldn’t succumb to any potential feelings he may or may not have regarding Asra’s Apprentice.

It was late one night when the Apprentice came to him, arms full of scrolls. They claimed to have a solution to his illness. Lucio considered that good news. And yet, the Apprentice seemed oddly serious. They locked the door before sitting at the foot of Lucio’s bed to begin unfurling the scrolls they brought with them. The scrolls were in an ancient language so the Apprentice translated the main points. After they had explained the contents of the scrolls, Lucio could understand why they weren’t nearly as excited about this cure as he was. The cure was a ritual. A binding ritual. Lucio could bind himself to one of the Archetypes of the tarot. This would allow him to live, though the exact nature of his existence after the binding was complete was a mystery. Lucio was thrilled at the idea. He had always sought magic but had never had any luck accessing it himself. The Apprentice remained grave throughout the whole conversation. He attributed it to the fact that the outcome was uncertain for him. Surely the Apprentice was worried about his wellbeing. They had already shown their hand in that they cared about him. But Lucio wasn’t worried. He was willing to take the chance. A chance at that power was a much better alternative to waiting around to die while the doctors looked hopelessly for an answer. He didn’t have that kind of time. The ritual would suit him just fine.

Convincing the others to participate in the ritual was much harder than Lucio had anticipated. Nadia agreed first. Asra took a very long tine to come around to the idea. Once Asra agreed, Julian did as well. Most of the preparation was done by the Apprentice. Lucio and the Apprentice had chosen to keep the true nature of the ritual secret from everyone else. The Apprentice was certain Asra would disapprove, especially if he found out what card Lucio would be bound to. He had chosen The Devil. Which wasn’t really a surprise, if you really thought about it. He felt the card suited him well. The Apprentice had been a bit hesitant but eventually agreed with him. They had told the others it was a healing ritual. The Apprentice had forged copies of the ritual with edits to make it convincing for everyone else involved. Asra always seemed skeptical, but he never objected. The concerned looks he gave the Apprentice when he thought no one else was looking gave him away, however. Lucio found his concern amusing. The only person who would be put in danger would be himself, and yet, the Magician was so worried about his Apprentice. Foolish.

Lucio never read the ritual for himself. The Apprentice had translated everything to him since it was in a language Lucio had never deemed important to learn. He hadn’t really thought much of it. If he had read the ritual, he might have been more concerned going in to it. His overconfidence had always been a flaw of his that he never saw a reason to fix. He never questioned that there might be parts of the ritual the Apprentice hadn’t shared with him. He never even thought they might hide anything from him.

And yet, here they were in the middle of Lucio’s bedroom performing the ritual, when the Apprentice pulled out a knife and plunged it right into their chest. For a moment, no one reacted. As the Apprentice began to fall, Asra screamed, lunging to catch them before they collapsed. As their blood began to seep onto the markings drawn on the floor beneath them, no one was watching Lucio. No one saw the brief moment where his cool demeanor cracked. No one saw the absolute horror flash across his face before he composed himself again. And no one saw him grasp on to the Devil card in his lap like it could reverse the damage done. As the tarot card in his hands began to glow, the last thing he saw before his whole world went black was Asra drawing his own tarot deck.

 

* * *

 

Lucio had regained consciousness sometime after to realize his entire room was filthy and covered in what appeared to be ash. He had attempted to speak to some of the servants outside, but no one seemed to hear him. Or even see him, for that matter. It didn’t take him long to realize the binding ritual must have worked. However, he wasn’t as powerful as he had hoped. In fact, he was less so than he had originally been. He was weak, incorporeal, nothing more than a shadow. Three years later and he still wasn’t as powerful as he wanted to be. But he was getting better. More real. He roamed his old wing of the castle along with the outskirts of town, gaining more confidence in his new form. He still had a great deal left to learn but it wasn’t quite as frustrating anymore. At least now he could frighten the servants who dared come near his old wing. The events that had happened in his room three years prior had scarred the place, but now, they were merely ghosts in the back of his mind.

That was, until one particular ghost happened to wander right into his castle. As soon as they passed through the palace gates, he felt their presence. Surely, he was imagining it. He had witnessed their death that night. But there they were, walking through the halls of his palace. The Apprentice. And yet, not quite the Apprentice he had known. Something was different. They felt familiar and distant all at once. As much as he tried to ignore it, seeing the Apprentice walking through his castle again stirred up emotions. Mostly anger. They had deceived him. They had withheld information from him and then had the audacity to live. Underneath his anger, there was something akin to relief at seeing them alive. That feeling kept him from confronting the Apprentice immediately. Well, that and the fact that he still wasn’t nearly as powerful as he wanted to be.

It wasn’t until they were passing the entrance to his old wing that he called out to them. He hadn’t really intended to, but seeing them so close, he just _had_ to have them come closer. Somewhere deep down, he had hoped they would be delighted to know the binding had been successful. What he hadn’t been prepared for was their confusion. And, was that _fear_? Oh, that fear was delightful. They should be fearful. He was furious. At first, he thought it was fear of confronting him after they had tricked him. But the longer they were near, the more he realized they simply didn’t remember him at all. Disappointing. Just like with everyone else involved, they also didn’t seem to remember anything that had happened the night of his ‘death’. Out of everyone, he had most hoped the Apprentice would remember. He couldn’t confront them now. Well, he could, but he wouldn’t get any satisfaction out of it. Not if they couldn’t explain themselves. He would just have to wait.

Until then, the Apprentice was here again. Within his castle walls once more. Something about them called to him. He wanted them for himself. More so now than he had before. The archetype within him yearned for it. He needed to understand what had changed about them. He needed answers as to why they never told him the true cost of the ritual. He wanted them in ways he never knew he was capable of.  He didn’t care how long it took, he would make them his. No matter the cost.


End file.
